Baidu's Apollo Go receives Dubai's first autonomous driving test permits

Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) announced that its autonomous ride-hailing platform Apollo Go has received Dubai's first autonomous driving trial permit and an initial batch of 50 autonomous driving test licenses from Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority.

The permits, granted in July, authorized Apollo Go to deploy vehicles in urban Dubai. The company's 50-vehicle fleet began conducting trials on designated open roads in August using sixth-generation autonomous vehicles called RT6.

The announcement was made at the 4th Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport, where Apollo Go operates as the sole platform conducting self-driving trials on open roads in the city.

"We are honored to bring this new dimension to Dubai's public transportation ecosystem, following our partnership with the RTA in March," said Liang Zhang, Managing Director of EMEA at Baidu Apollo.

Apollo Go and Dubai's RTA plan to expand the fleet to more than 1,000 fully driverless vehicles by 2028. The expansion follows a memorandum of understanding signed between the companies earlier this year.

The Dubai permits represent Apollo Go's latest international expansion milestone. In November 2024, the company received Hong Kong's first autonomous driving test license, marking its entry into a right-hand-drive market.

According to the company, Apollo Go has accumulated 200 million kilometers of autonomous driving experience, provided 14 million rides to passengers, and operates fully driverless services in Chinese cities.

Baidu trades on NASDAQ under the ticker BIDU and on the Hong Kong Exchange under 9888.

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